The players were loving the return of fans to golf in Ireland as hundreds lined the fairways on day one of the 2021 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
After welcoming fans to events in North America this season, the Porsche European Open represented the return of a limited amount of general admission spectators to an event on continental Europe for the first time since the 2019 Portugal Masters due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
And while numbers were again limited at Mount Juliet Estate, every available ticket was sold as a golf mad Irish crowd got to see Open Champion Shane Lowry, four time Major Champion Rory McIlroy and Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington.
Lowry may have had an 8.00am start alongside fellow Major winner Martin Kaymer and Northern Ireland's Jonathan Caldwell but he still drew a big crowd and was glad to have home support out on the course again as he fired a 70.
"It was nice," he said. "There's only a small amount of people but felt like there were a lot of them with us and there was a bit of buzz and excitement which was nice.
"I wish there was a lot more people here, because imagine 20,000 people here today? This weather, just incredible. But obviously that's not the case.
"It's probably nice for the people who actually could get tickets. It's probably nice for them, they could see a lot of golf. Probably a few hundred people following us around and felt like a nice atmosphere.
"It's great to have a crowd. I've obviously been playing in America and very fortunate and I'm sure the guys who play full-time on the European Tour are pretty happy to see a crowd out there today because it does create an atmosphere.
"I got off to a difficult start and the crowd gives you something to feed off of and a pep in your step when you have fans in the crowd to play in front of."
Scotland's Grant Forrest was one of the stars of the day with a six under par 66 and he was delighted to have the fans back.
"It makes such a difference," he said. "Just having some people out there, just hearing the claps, and obviously some groups will have big crowds, it makes all the difference I think.
"I definitely prefer it. I think it just helps you kind of get up for it and feel like you're absolutely competing a bit more than if it's just dead and silent out there. I really struggled with it."
